God's Song

Editor: adkji

Sponsored: Chimemerie & Sudarsan L.

Danny and Colin were spread out on the sofa, drunk. Danny fell asleep after yelling that his violin needs to be in Colin’s next album.

“Isaac asked how summer vacation in Switzerland sounds. You’ll go, right?”

“No. I’m good. I should get back to Korea. I’ve rested long enough and my wish came true. There’s nothing more I want since I’ve gotten maestros’ numbers thanks to you.” Yoon Kwang Hun stroked his phone in satisfaction.

“Reporters might go to the cafe to bother you. Will you be alright?”

“There won’t be reporters coming to bother me after you do your interview. It seems like lawyer Lim So Mi threatened the Korean reporters.”

“What? Lawyer Lim So Mi?”

“Yeah. She made it clear that anyone who bothers me won’t be able to interview you ever again. It’ll be okay.”

Jun Hyuk mentioned the reporters because he wanted to spend some more time with Yoon Kwang Hun, but he could not change Yoon Kwang Hun’s mind. “When will you be going?”

“I’m leaving tomorrow. I have the ticketing done already.”

Next to Jun Hyuk, Amelia could not overcome the alcohol and kept dozing off. Yoon Kwang Hun saw this and smiled.

“Amelia still has time, right?”

“Yes. She goes back to Argentina after 10 days.”

“Then enjoy your vacation with Amelia. And... don’t forget what I said.”

“Huh? What?”

“That you can only maintain affection through effort.”

“I see you really like Amelia.”

“I’m growing old alone, but I know a lot of women. It’s hard to find a girl like her. No matter how many women come at you, you’ll only think of Amelia later. Don’t regret it later on.”

“Don’t worry. I know well that Amelia is a great girl.”

Saying more would just be a sermon, so Yoon Kwang Hun just nodded.

“Go in. I’m sleepy, so I should get some sleep too.”

Jun Hyuk picked Amelia up as she was sleeping and went into the bedroom.

***

“Mr. Yoon. I hope we meet again.”

“I hope so too. Oh right. Amelia, it’d be great if you held a concert in Korea.”

“I’ll say. I’ll look into it. I’ll perform in Korea even if I don’t get paid for it.”

The New York Philharmonic’s show was a festival for them too. It is more enjoyable than a festival for people who find it hard to gather together.

Everyone went back to their respective places, and Jun Hyuk and Amelia were the only people left. While they were packing to go on vacation, President Stern came in laughing.

He was holding a stack of newspapers.

“Take a look at the culture section of the New York Times first. They filled a full 2 pages with our show. Especially articles about you, Jun.”

The culture pages were full of pictures of Jun Hyuk sitting in front of the piano and conducting.

“A conductor who must not be stolen away by someone else. That’s you.There are even opinions that the New York Philharmonic needs to make a bold decision. Dimitri will get a little angry if he sees this article. It’s the same as saying they should change to you. He he.”

Jun Hyuk skimmed through all of the newspapers and looked indifferent, but he could not hide the laughter bursting out. There were a few negative articles, but they were all about sound issues with performing outdoors and not being able to handle the large crowds.

“Alright then. Leave the rest to me and you two relax in Switzerland. The scenery is the best, so you’ll really like it.”

“Isaac, you’re not going with us?”

“I can’t. I’m busiest during off-season. I need to work on renewing contracts and preparing concerts. Management in this industry is the same as in sports. Off-season is the busiest.”

President Stern took a glance at Amelia and tapped senseless Jun Hyuk on the shoulder.

“And even if I have time, I can’t go right now. Why would I when the two of you are spending some quality time together? You think I’m a senseless old man? Even if I go, it would be after Amelia leaves for Argentina.”

“Tara left for her vacation?”

“I forced her to go. She’s a workaholic too. If Amelia hadn’t been here, I’m sure she would have followed you to Switzerland.”

President Stern let out a long sigh thinking about Tara.

“There will be someone to greet you when you land in Switzerland. He’ll take you to the villa and the house will have been cleaned up completely. Get a lot of rest before you come back.”

The private jet left New York and arrived in Lucerne, Switzerland. President Stern’s villa is a small 2-story house in Entlebuch, about an hour away from Lucerne.

Entrevuch is the first biological preservation area designated by UNESCO, a place of nature at an elevation of 2,350m. There are endless rivers and forests that looked as though they have never been touched by humans, and it is just a small, beautiful village without a single large building.

The Swiss government blocks enterprises by law and made it a place where residents produce eco-friendly goods.

Large multinational chains were not allowed for hotels, and there are only small region-only operated hotels.

President Stern recommended a place that is perfect for Jun Hyuk’s taste. As soon as Jun Hyuk saw the house, he smiled brightly and sat at a window on the 2nd floor for a while to look at the scenery, forgetting about his luggage.

Jun Hyuk and Amelia went grocery shopping and cooked for themselves, spending their days simply and calmly. They spent their days getting up late, eating a light breakfast, and taking walks through the grasslands and forests.

They spent their time in a perfect vacation, not thinking about piano or music scores and only thinking that they wished time would stop like this.

Amelia left after 10 days, but Jun Hyuk’s daily life did not change. The rivers, forests, and grasslands acted as Jun Hyuk’s friends and partners in place of Amelia.

When he went back to New York after spending a full month in Switzerland, President Stern and Tara were waiting for him with a thick stack of papers.

“First, we organized the places that requested concerts. Let’s go through them carefully, pick the ones you want to do, and decide on an order for the rest.” Jun Hyuk sighed looking at the stack of papers piled high.

“Isaac. I told you... I won’t perform choral concerto anymore.”

“I know. Choral concerto was taken out of all of these proposals.”

“What? They were taken out? But, there’s so many of them?”

“Do they request performances while looking at the works? They look at the person. Piano and conducting. Oh right. There’s also a request for you to be a guest at the Monterey Jazz Festival at the end of September.”

America’s Monterey Jazz Festival was started in 1958 and has been held for a long time. It’s one of the top 3 jazz festivals in the world, called 3M, along with Switzerland’s Montreux and Canada’s Montreal.

“Whew – So we have to read through all of these. Is there anything you want to suggest in particular?”

“There is one... Then, do you want to take a look at this one first?”

Tara exchanged looks with President Stern and handed a proposal over. Jun Hyuk read it and his eyes grew wide. “This is in Seoul.”

“Yeah. It’s a bit of a special place for you, no? But from just the management’s stance, I want to give priority to the Seoul performance. The conditions are the best.” President Stern spoke with confidence.

“The conditions are good?”

“Yeah. The guarantee is twice that of your performance this time around with New York. They said they’ll hold a live broadcast and even guaranteed a revenue income... Other treatment is at VIP standard. From the agency’s point of view, it’s something that we don’t want to miss out on.”

Tara spoke quickly when she saw Jun Hyuk showing interest.

“And... ho ho. I found out recently too that Korea has organization in its cabinet for a Ministry of Culture. To think that there’s a part of the government in charge of cultural affairs... I was surprised.”

President Stern laughed as he spoke.

“Anyway, the proposal came with a request from the Ministry of Culture attached to it.”

“Is there no designated department in America?”

“No. There isn’t one organized in the government. Culture is all a private sector. The Department of Commerce handles anything that needs related measures.”

In America, the two views that the government must not interfere in culture and that culture is an industry coexist.

“Then, let’s start with the performance in Korea.”

When Jun Hyuk made a clear decision, Tara and Stern looked surprised. “It’s really okay?”

“Yes, of course. There’s no reason for me to be against it when my manager has analyzed it carefully and decided on it as priority.”

“Great.”

If the performance in Korea ends successfully, it is another chance to create a huge market for Jun Hyuk’s album. It is a proposal that they cannot waste.

“But what’s the description for the performance?”

“The proposal was interesting and it caught my eye too. There’s an album you released before you came to the U.S., right?”

“Yes, but that’s not classical.”

“Yeah, I know that too. Performing that album and one piano concerto. So you participate in the piano concerto as a pianist and the tracks you made for your album are going to be put on stage. This will make it a 2-hour show. They said the stage is some kind of football stadium... It’s an outdoor performance.”

“Ah.....”

Jun Hyuk picked the proposal up again and checked the location. It is Sangam World Cup Stadium.

“You need to arrange the music, too. Your tracks will be performed by the musicians who worked on the album with you and an orchestra. This is a concert too.” The proposal says that it will be Seoul Symphony Orchestra.

“They want you to do the arrangements since they are songs from your album. What do you think?”

Jun Hyuk nodded lightly. Even if he is arranging the music, the orchestra is just an accompaniment so it won’t be difficult to do.

“And I’m telling you in advance in case you worry about it, but you won’t be participating in anything other than the performance.”

Tara added this note in to reassure Jun Hyuk.

“But won’t we need at least 2 months to prepare for the concert in Korea?”

“Right. A week should be enough for rehearsals.”

“Then that means I can participate in the Monterey Jazz Festival at the end of this month?”

Tara and Stern are taken aback.

“Why are you surprised? I thought you said there was an invitation?”

“Oh, I didn’t think of that. I was thinking of promotion concerts because New York’s performance and Laura’s albums will be released next week.” “Then, make a schedule for me including that concert.”

Tara and Stern are even more surprised. Jun Hyuk seems a little different after getting back from vacation.

“What is this? Why are you working so hard all of a sudden?”

“I got a lot of rest, so I have to work.”

They could only blink while looking at Jun Hyuk, who was smiling with a cup of coffee in his hand.